The present invention relates to mounts and fasteners. More specifically, the present invention relates to mounts and fasteners for bundling and tying elongate objects such as electrical wires, tubes and hoses, and for securing such objects to a support.
Many types of mounting devices have been developed over the years for holding one or more elongate objects to a support. One of the more popular devices for use in vehicles, including automobiles and airplanes, has been the “P” clamp. The P clamp includes a metal strap formed into a generally circular portion with each end of the strap terminating in a flat foot portion. After elongate objects are encircled by the circular portion, the feet are overlapped until apertures in the feet are aligned to receive a threaded fastener. Unfortunately, P clamps suffer from numerous disadvantages. Foremost, P clamps are generally not adjustable so that when they are used in an environment where different sizes of bundles have to be accommodated, a large inventory of different sized P clamps must be maintained. Also, it is difficult to achieve a predetermined tension on the held objects, and thus it is sometimes necessary to use additional fillers to encircle the objects to provide consistent compressive forces. The P clamp has changed very little over the years which is surprising considering the various problems associated with their use. Most assemblers agree that the installation of these clamps is difficult because of their stiffness. Furthermore, the use of commercially available P clamps on electrical cables is complicated by the fact that electrical cable diameter dimensions are not tightly controlled and that cables have “soft” irregular cross-sections which can be damaged by excessive force caused by securing with a P clamp.
Relatively recently, ring post fasteners have been introduced into the aircraft industry. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,880,787 describes a ring post fastener which has a central post. On one end of the post is a female threaded attachment and at the other end of the post is a male threaded attachment. The male and female threads allow the fastener to be stacked. In addition, the ring post fastener has a plurality of spokes which radially project from the post and a ring affixed to the end of the spokes. U.S. Pat. No. 7,770,852 describes a ring post fastener wherein the ring is capable of freely rotating about the central post. Again, this fastener is stackable. Unfortunately, present ring post fasteners, as well as other fasteners, typically require that the fastener attach to a threaded substrate. However, not all underlying substrate surfaces have a male or female threaded feature.
Tie straps, also referred to as cable ties, have been widely used for bundling wires, and for securing such wires to a support. The tie strap structure includes a flexible tie for circling a bundle and a buckle at one end of the tie to lock the tie strap structure into a loop. Various mounts have been developed for securing the tie strap and bundle of wires to a support. The mounts include one or more windows or slots for receiving one end of the tie strap which is then looped back upon itself to be attached by the tie strap's buckle. The mounts are then affixed to a support surface by a threaded fastener or adhesive.
Advantageously, tie straps have adjustable diameters to accommodate a wide variety of bundle diameters. Accordingly, such fasteners typically do not require fillers to provide consistent compressive forces upon objects to be bundled. Unfortunately, presently available mounts for tie straps require that both sides of the mount be accessible for entry and exit of the strap. Further, such mounts require the additional component of an adhesive or of a threaded fastener to secure the mount to a support surface, thereby requiring that an additional inventory of components be maintained.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide an improved fastener which was stackable, and which could mount to non-threaded surfaces.
Furthermore, it would be advantageous to provide an improved fastener and mount construction for bundling and securing elongate objects such as electrical wires and hoses.
Still an additional advantage to an improved fastener would be that the fastener was lightweight, inexpensive to manufacture, and did not require a large number of components.